Switch-throwing mechanism for railway-cars.



W. L. SLATE.

SWITCH THROWING MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15, 1913.

1,075,869. Patented 0ct.14,1913.

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W. L. SLATE.

SWITCH THROWING MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15, 1913.

1,075,869,, Patented 001;. 14, 1913.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CD., WASHINGTON. n. c.

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WILLIAM L. SLATE, OE FORT WORTH, .ASSIGNOR OF QNE-I-IALF TO W. C.FOB-BESS, OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS.

SWITCH-THROWING IVIECI-IANISM FOB. RAILWAY-CARS.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented (Pet. 14, 1913 Application filed February 15, 1913. Serial No.748,679.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, l VILLIAM L. SLATE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fort North, in the county of Tarrant and tate of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Tmprovements in Switch-ThrowingMechanism for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus or mechanism for turning switchesand particularly to a mechanism by which a motorman on a street car maythrow a switch in either direction without stopping the car, and theobject is to provide simple devices which will operate with certaintyand precision, and which will not be disarranged in operation.

A further object is to provide devices which will not be an obstructionin. the street where the switches are to be operated.

Other objects and advantages will be fully explained in the followingdescription, and the invention will be more particularly pointed out inthe claims.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings which form a part of thisappli cation.

Figure 1 shows a portion of a street car and a side elevation of theactuating mechanism attached to the street car. Fig. 2 is a plan view ofone of the depressible bars. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, being a detailview of the breakable actuator. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the trip,being an end view of the lever which carries the trip showing the tripon the end of the lever. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same, andalso an end elevation of the lever showing the trip thereon. Fig. 6 is aplan view of the trip-carrying lever, and also a side elevation of thebearing or fulcrum for the lver. Fig. 7 is a frontelevation of a portionof the car showing the actuating mechanism mounted thereon. Fig. 8 is adetail view of one of the actuators, or tripping devices, being a frontelevation of the same. Fig. 9 is a front elevation, showing the mannerof attaching the guiding tube for the rod which actuates the depressiblearm or beam. Fig. 10 is a side elevation of an actuating device which isa variation from the actuating devices previously illustrated. Fig. 11is a front elevation of a selective device used with the depressible armshown with the variation in Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a detail view, being afront elevation of the tripping device used with the form of theinvention shown in Fig. 11. Fig. 13 is a plan view of the switch and ofthe switch throwing mechanism. Fig. 1 1 is a ide elevation of the same.Fig. 15 is a detail view of the switch throwing mechanism.

Similar characters of reference are used to indicate the same partsthroughout the several views.

A portion of a street car track is shown in Fig. 13 which includes crossties 1, 2, and 3. The rails a for the main track are mounted on the tiesabove named. Rails 5 and 6 are shown for switching a car off the mainline. The pivoted switch tongue 7 is shown for turning the car. A throwrod 8 is connected to the switch tongue 7 by running the rod 8 under theguard rail 9 so that a car may be turned on the branch track or the mainline at will. The rod 8 is connected to a throw lever 10 by running thesame through the lever 10. Spiral springs 11 are mounted on the rod 8 oneach side of the lever 10, and held in place by nuts 12 and washers 13.The lever 10 has two arms, let and 15, which may be formed integraltherewith. The lever 10 is fulcrumed on a bearing block 16 which isattached to the cross tie 3.

The lever 10 is operated by selective devices in the following manner: Atripping lever 17 is fulcrumed on a bearing block 18 which is attachedto the cross tie 2. The block has an upstanding fulcrum 19 on which thelever 17 operates. The lever 17 carries an upstanding trip 20 which isto be actuated by devices carried on a street car. The lever 17 isoperatively connected to the lever 10 by a rod 21 which runs through apipe 22 which is to be placed under the surface of the street. The rod21 is adjustably connected to the lever 17 and to the arms 14 of lever10 by forked nuts 23, which may be screwed more or less on the rod 21.The nut 23 has forks 24c for receiving lever 17 and arm 14 which arepivotally connected thereto. A similar lever 25 carrying a trip 26 isfulcrumed on a bearing block 18 which has a fulcrum 19 projectingupwardly to receive the lever 25. The manner of mounting the lever 17 isto mount the same on the fulcrum 19, then run a bolt 27 up through thetie 2 and through the fulcrum 19 through the washer 28, and then screw anut 29 down on the bolt 27 to press the washer 28 against the fulcrum19,

thus leaving the levers 25 and 17 to turn on the fulcrum withoutfriction. The lever 25 is operatively connected with the arm 15 of lever10 by means of a rod 30 which runs through a pipe 31 which is to beplaced under the surface of the street, and the rod 30 is adjustablyconnected to the lever 25, and to the arm 15 by forked nuts 23. Bumpers32 are attached to the cross tie ,2 for the purpose of limiting thestrokes of the trips 20 and 26. The object of the bumpers 32 is toprevent the levers 25 and 17 from disarranging the throw rod 8 when thelevers 17 and 25 are actuated by the devices hereinafter described. Aguide rail 33 is mounted between the trips 20 and 26 to guide theactuating devices hereinafter described.

The actuating devices for operating the trips 20 and 25 are carried bythe street car to be used by the motorman whenever he wants to turn aswitch. A shaft 34 is journaled in hangers 36 which are attached to thebottom of the street car. Depressible beams 35 are journaled on theshaft 34. The beam 35 may be constructed of a single piece of bar ironand bent, as shown in Fig. 2, to provide two journal bearings 37 forengaging the shaft 34. This construction is provided so that the beams35 will operate certainly in a vertical direction, the two arms 38preventing lateral motion of the beams 35. In Figs. 1 to 9 inclusive, itis contemplated that there shall be two beams 35 and 38,one for throwingthe switch tongue to the right and the other for throwing the switchtongue to the left, the two beams being constructed in the same manner,except that the beam 38 is slightly longer than beam 35, so that oneactuator will be slightly behind the other. The beams 35 and 38 are heldnormally out of operative position by spiral springs 40 which areattached to the beams. The springs are attached to the beams by suitablebolts and at the upper ends of the springs they are attached to hooks 41which are attached to the bottom of the car, and each beam carries afoot piece 42. In addition to rais ing the beams 35 and 38 to theposition of beam 38 shown in Fig. 1, means are provided for raising thelower end of the foot pieces 42 as shown in Fig. 1. A rod 43 is looselyconnected to the foot piece 42 and pivotally connected to a hanger 44.The hanger 44 is connected to the shaft 34 at the lower end and attachedto the car at the upper end. A rod 43 is slotted at 45 so that the footpiece 42 may be brought to the position of foot piece of beam 35 shownin Fig. 1, when each beam is let down to operative position. The hanger44 is provided with a plurality of holes so that the rod 43 may beadjusted to throw the foot piece 42 to proper position during operation.The beams 35 and 38 are depressed with rods 46 which are pivotallyconnected to the beams and by treads 47 and 48 respectively. The treads47 and 48 are recessed at their lower ends to receive the rods 46 whichare pointed at their upper ends. Guide tubes 49 are pivotally connectedto the bottom of the car by means shown in Fig. 9, which consist of lugs50 on the tubes 49 and hangers 51 attached to the bottom of the car forreceiving the lugs 50. The tubes 49 can thus swing to permit theoperation of the rods 46 in changing positions of the beams 35 and 38.The beams and 38 are drooped at 52 to form stops to prevent the footpieces 42 from being thrown too far backward. The foot pieces 42 carryactuators 53 and 54 for operating the trips 20 and 26 above described.These actuators are pivotally mounted on the foot pieces 42 and meansare provided which will permit the actuators to break backwardly whenthe trips 20 and 26 strike the stops 32. The object of this arrangementis to prevent the breaking of the trips 20 and 26, and the bumpers 32are to prevent the disarrangement of the springs 11 and throw rod 8. Thetoggle arms 58 and 56 are pivotally connected to the actuators 53 and 54and pivotally connected to each other,.the upper arm 56 has an integrallug The upper toggle arm 56 is pivotally connected to a bar 57 which isrigidly connected to the foot piece 42. A rod 59 is pivotally connectedto the lug 55 and runs up through the bar 57. A spiral spring 60 ismounted on the rod 59 and seats on the lug 57, and is held in place by awasher 61 and a nut 62 which is screwed on the rod 59. The toggle arms56 and 58 will permit the actuators 53 and 54 to break backwardly,because the rod 59' will'pull down through the lug 57 and allow thetoggle joint 63 to go forward. When the pressure is released from theactuator, the spring 60 will draw the actuator back to normal position.The spring 60 is made strong enough, or has tension enough, to cause theswitching operation, but will yield to prevent breaking any of themechanism, and will restore the actuator to normal position afteroperation.

The variations shown in Figs. 10 to 12 This selective device consistsGet stands normally above the divider. The motorman can use a tread toforce the beam 6% down on either side of the divider 67, and he can thusselect his direction, or he can throw the beam 6% on the other side ofthe divider 67 and go in the other direction. The actuator for the beam6 1 and foot piece 42 differs from the previous actuators, in that theactuator has two wings 69 instead of one wing as in the previouslydescribed actuators 53 and 54c. The operating part 70 may be thrown oneither side of the guide rail 33 for actuating either lever 17 or 25.

The throw rods in the street and the levers for actuating the throw rodmay be covered by suitable covers or boxes (not shown) to be constructedas required by the street paving. T he rods 21 and 80 may be of anydesired length.

Various changes may be made in the construction of the devices locatedin the street and also in the actuating devices carried by the carwithout departing from my invention.

What I claim, is-

1. A switch-throwing mechanism comprising a throw-rod operativelyconnected to a switch, selective levers and rods operatively connectedto said throw rod, said levers having upstanding lugs, a guide railbetween said lugs, and selective levers and a foot-piece operativelyconnected with each lever carried on a car whereby the motorman maycause either one of said lugs to actuate one of said levers.

2. A switch -throwing mechanism comprising a throw-rod operativelyconnected to a switch, selective levers operatively connected to saidthrow rod, upstanding lugs carried by said levers, and selective devicescarried by the street car for actuating said lugs, said devicesconsisting of levers, a footpiece connected to each lever, and abreakable actuator carried by each lever.

3. A switch-throwing mechanism comprising a throw-rod operativelyconnected to a switch, a double armed lever connected to said throw-rod,selective levers operatively connected to the arms of said lever,upstanding lugs carried by said selective levers, selective devicescarried by the car normally out of the paths of said lugs includingbreakable actuators for engaging the lugs, and means for depressingeither one of said selective devices to engage one of said lugs.

4. A switch-throwing mechanism comprising a throw-rod operativelyconnected to a switch, a double-armed lever connected to said throw-rod,upstanding lugs carried by said selective levers, breakable actuators,depressible levers carried by a car carrying said actuators, and adepressible foot-piece operatively connected to each lever by which amotorman on the car can depress either one oi said levers.

5. A switch-throwing mechanism comprising a throw-rod operativelyconnected to a switch tongue, a double-armed springcontrolled leverconnected to said throwrod, selective levers operatively connected tothe arms of said lever, upstanding lugs carried by said selectivelevers, bumpers to prevent the up-setting of said lugs and levers,actuators, depressible levers carried by a car carrying said actuators,and devices by which a moto-rman may depress either one of said levers.

6. A switch-throwing mechanism comprising a throw-rod operativelyconnected to a switch tongue, a doublearmed springcontrolled leverconnected to said throw rod, selective levers and rods operativelyconnected to the arms of said lever, upstanding lugs carried by saidselective levers, breakable actuators for operating said lugs, meansnormally holding said actuators out of the plane of said lugs carried bya car, and means carried by the car whereby the motorman may throweither one of said actuators to engage one of said lugs.

In testimony whereof, I set my hand in the presence of two witnesses,this 7th day of February, 1913.

W. L. SLATE.

Witnesses A. L. JACKSON, J. W. STITT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

